Snapshot: Beginning
by summerlover1
Summary: Sequel to Morning Secret. Olivia and Peter were finally going out for dinner and Olivia Dunham was outright panicking. Why hadn't she suggested going to a bar and seeing who could out-drink the other? P/O


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Snapshot: ~Unleashed~ Beginning

Hey everyone, here's the last part to Night Struggles and Morning Secrets, and yay the rating has been changed to T

Disclaimer: Of course I don't own something as cool as Fringe.

Rated: T

Pairing: Olivia/Peter

Beta'd by: I Was Here Moments Ago

Mainly Olivia POV

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She, Olivia Dunham, was outright panicking.

She had invited Peter out for dinner and he had said yes.

Yes, to dinner, which was exactly one hour away. And now she couldn't tell if the butterflies in her stomach were from being nervous or excited. This had been her idea, something which had shocked them both. When he had found her at the diner, the sudden urge had seemed so simple and innocent, but now she just felt stupid. She wished she could blame him for this whole mess, deny any responsibility or flirting that may have occurred on her behalf.

She was acting like a love sick teenager and knew it.

With her bedroom door shut, and her bed covered in clothes, she wondered if it was to late to change their plans from dinner to something less formal, more...safe and work-like. Going to a bar and seeing who could out-drink the other wasn't that bad of an idea, why hadn't she thought of that earlier?

Everything about tonight was grating heavily on her mind. Going through her clothes, all she could find were suits in different neutral tones.

Tonight suits were not what she wanted.

No, tonight she didn't want to be Agent Dunham, high strung from her work.

She wanted to be Olivia, single and attractive, ready to be carefree.

If only she remembered what it was like to be carefree.

More than frustrated, she ended up picking her only pair of jeans to wear, which had been picked out by her sister as a hint, and a long, deep burgundy top. With her makeup light, and her hair twisted into a bun, she looked good.

Which created a whole new problem, she didn't want to look good. Good meant she had spent the last few hours fussing over what she would wear, which she had.

But that was something he didn't need to know. Pulling out the pins, she let her hair down. There. Now she looked slightly more relaxed.

Tonight had been on her mind since she and Peter had returned from lunch together, something Walter and Astrid hadn't questioned in the least. The conversation they'd had in that diner had changed something between them, though.

She had become more aware when in his presence, and could feel his eyes on her whenever she entered the room. He would stand closer to her now, his body always just far enough away that they were never touching, yet if she moved by only an inch, she would brush against him.

There she went again, over analyzing. This wasn't even necessarily a date, they'd had dinner together before and it had been no big deal then.

Showing up right on time, he smiled as she waved and closed the door behind her. Walking to the car, she tried to ignore how fast her heart was pounding. Sneaking a quick look, she wanted to see if he was as nervous as her.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Staring solely at her, Olivia was amazed by the unguarded look of desire on his face.

"Hi." She started awkwardly.

Clearing his throat, he looked away. "Hi."

The ride to the restaurant seemed to take forever. Concentrating on her breathing, she tried to tune out her less than partner-ly thoughts. Had his car always smelled so much like him, she wondered.

The tension that had built in the car seemed to subside when they were finally seated at the table. Realizing there had been no point in worrying, Olivia opened up easily to his casual conversation and took pleasure in battling it out through sarcastic remarks. It was as if Peter had known how worked up she had been about coming, doing everything he could to keep it light and easy and well away from work.

"So you're telling me you never once as a kid did anything wrong?"

Smiling she bit her lip from laughing, "Well there may have been a few...instances which lead to me being grounded."

"All of which were no way your fault, of course." He offered.

"Of course." She replied easily.

"What about you? What did the great Peter Bishop do to get in trouble?" She held her breath hoping the question wouldn't ruin how light the atmosphere had become. She knew his life with Walter as a father hadn't been easy, and didn't want to bring that up right now.

Never losing his smirk, he shrugged. "Oh you know, the normal stuff. Super gluing cups to people's hands and Nair in the shampoo...normal."

"Right." She laughed. "Normal."

When there food came, Olivia felt her jealousy flare as the waitress gave them their meals, her eyes on Peter the whole time. She couldn't explain the sudden urge to grab his hand, making sure the other woman knew he was with her. She was suddenly uneasy with where her thoughts had lead her. She had never been possessive of a person before.

Aware of his dates sudden change, Peter reached across the table, resting his hand on hers as he had done at the diner. Silently he urged her to meet his gaze. When she finally lifted her head, he squeezed her hand, offering her a small smile.

Ridiculously embarrassed to have been caught sulking, Olivia tried to pull her hand away. Yes, she was pleased with the less then happy look the waitress had shot her before leaving, but her own actions still shocked her.

"What's wrong Livia?" Peter's words, designed to sound calm, hid the nerves he felt.

"Nothing," She snapped. Shoulders slumping, she stopped trying to pull her hand away. "Sorry, nothings wrong." She tried, her voice once again softer.

Nonplused by her mood swing, Peter offered her a fry from his plate. "Trade you a fry for a bite of your pasta. You know you want to."

Her body clenched at the deepening of his voice as he said the last words. Forcing a calm she didn't feel, she took a bite, making sure to show her appreciation for the taste.

"Mm..."

His eyes watched the movement of her throat swallowing and trailed back up to her lips. No longer hungry for food, he willed himself to stay in control.

Clearing her throat, she was conscious of his stare.

For one second the restaurant and anything work related faded around them.

All there was, was heat.

Just as fast as it had appeared, it was gone. Peter, breaking the eye contact, left Olivia sitting there struggling to think coherently.

For Peter it had been nearly impossible to pull away.

The rest of dinner was spent talking about safe subjects and ignoring what had just happened. Realizing his intent right away, Olivia hadn't been surprised to see his ever present smirk return and the glint in his eye indicating mischief reappear as he started with the sarcastic remarks again. Forgoing dessert, Olivia let Peter open the door to the restaurant for her.

Walking side by side, they were quiet and comfortable. His hand brushed against her own,once, twice, a third time. Cranking her head, she looked up to see a strange expression on his face.

"What are you doing?"

He looked uncomfortable. "Trying to see if you'll let me hold your hand."

Blushing, she realized what he was asking. Shakily she raised her hand, letting him slide his fingers through her own.

The walk to the car was over faster then either of them would have liked. Squeezing her hand gently, Peter let her fingers slip through his own.

The car ride back to her place was quiet. Lost in thought, Olivia stared aimlessly through the window. Would it be too bold if she invited him in for a while? No one else would be home until tomorrow afternoon and she didn't want the night to end yet.

"Do you want to come in for coffee or beer?" She blurted as the car pulled up in front of her place.

"Sure." He replied, his eyes picking up on her embarrassment.

Letting them into the house, Olivia grabbed a couple beers from the fridge on the way to the living room. Passing a beer to Peter, she sat down on the couch beside him. With his shoulder pressed against her own and her feet resting on the coffee table, she felt more relaxed then she had in a long time. Sipping her beer, she leaned against him watching an old black and white movie.

A couple beers later the credits rolled across the screen. Totally at ease, Olivia rolled her head to the side. "Thank you for tonight."

Rewarding her with his patented crooked smile, he ran his thumb across her cheek. "Thank you for inviting me."

His touch was playing havoc with her senses. It shouldn't be possible to respond this fast to anyone's touch.

"Relax Liv." He whispered, his lips mere centimeters away from her own.

Eyes hooded, full of an undeniable heat and body held tense, she had never seen him like this before. She knew he wanted to kiss her, could see it clearly in his face, yet he didn't move any closer. He was giving her the choice once again, she realized. Like in the diner, he was letting her set the pace and make the decisions.

Nibbling the corner of her lips, her eyes lingered on his. Was this what she wanted? Were the consequences worth it?

Yes.

Reaching out, she traced his shoulder, his muscles tensing under her touch.

"I'm going to kiss you." She whispered.

His body froze, before moving quickly.

Olivia found herself pushed between the couch and Peter, his body supported by his arms on either side of her, his face a mask of emotions.

"You're not drunk?" He had to be sure.

"No."

"You're sure?"

Leaning up, she grabbed onto his shirt pulling him forward. "Yes."

His "Thank god," was murmured against her lips as he finally kissed her.

Melting into his touch, Olivia pressed her lips urgently against his. Of their own accord, her hands ran across his back, her nails digging in. Moaning deep in his throat, Peter angled his head, deepening the kiss. Relaxing against the couch, she pulled him down on top of her, their bodies aligning perfectly. Tangling a hand in her long blond hair, Peter slid his tongue across the bottom of her lip. Sighing in pleasure, Olivia opened her mouth, their tongues meeting.

Drawing only slightly away, Peter looked into her own wild eyes.

Gaze contemplative, he smiled, "We have to stop."

She frowned at his words. Had she made a fool of herself?

"For now." He amended, with a self depreciating smile.

Smiling shyly, Olivia let herself be turned so she was laying on his chest. Running a hand through his hair, she got her breathing back under control.

"Stay the night?" She asked.

His body hardened immediately before relaxing under her. "That," He pointed out, his voice low and deep in her ear. "Is not taking it slow."

"Just to sleep." She promised, her head resting against his neck.

"Just to sleep."

Grabbing the blanket off the couch, Olivia snuggled back into his embrace.

Safe together, the darkness of the night never once crossed either of their minds.

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Tada, please let me know what you think of the ending, read n' review.

Although this story is done I should be posting other random snapshot fics, if you have a request let me know


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